Ambidextrous, anti-vibration glove with impact and pinch point protection

ABSTRACT

A glove for protecting a hand is provided including a flat, first side having a hand-shaped outer perimeter having a palm portion and finger portions, and a flat second side having the hand shaped outer perimeter having a palm portion and finger portions. The second side is a mirror image of the first side. Protuberances are disposed in a pattern on each of the first side and the second side of the glove where the patterns are mirror images of one another. The glove may be used on either a left hand or a right hand of a user. When in use, the protuberances on the one side provide impact protection to the back of the user&#39;s hand, and the protuberances on the other side provide vibration damping.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to gloves, and more particularly toknitted gloves having vibration absorbing properties.

Gloves having vibration absorbing properties have been around for manyyears. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,865,969 (Auger et al.) discloses aglove having a plurality of resilient, compressible projectionsextending out from the palm and fingers of the glove. Planar areas inthe knuckles and finger joint areas make the device flexible for easygrasping. Bunching of the projections is avoided or reduced by arrangingthe projections in parallel, arcuate rows.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,688 (Reynolds et al.) discloses a glove having abladder with interconnected or independent inflation cells filled with acompressible fluid such as air. A pump may be used to inflate thebladder.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,217 (Karall) discloses a vibration damping glovethat includes at least one vibration-damping layer, facing away from thehand. Indents cause vibrations to be deflected into an interior layer.

Wear resistant gloves have also been known for many years. It has been acommon practice to include coatings of a flexible, wear-resistantmaterial, e.g., polyvinyl chloride, applied thereon to provide somemeasure of wear resistance. Those coatings have typically either beenapplied over substantially the entire glove, or in random block patternsor stripes or small dots. All of the patterns utilized heretofore forwear-protective coatings exhibit one or more drawbacks. For example, asolid coating over the entire glove or over its entire palm surfacebuckles when the hand is flexed, causing creasing of the coating andwearer discomfort. Additionally, stripes extending the entire length ofthe glove tend to buckle when the glove is flexed. Other materials, suchas leather, rubber, vinyl, etc., have been used for work gloves, andsome of such gloves have included pads or other portions to increasecomfort and/or provide some cushioning or protection.

Cut resistant gloves have also been known for many years. Various typesof seamless knitted gloves formed of conventional materials, such ascotton, poly-cotton, or Kevlar® are commercially available for use byworkers to provide some measure of protection from injury and somecushioning for the hand of workers. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No.RE42,265 which teaches a cut resistant yarn for use with gloves as wellas the glove itself.

While the prior art gloves may be generally suitable for their intendedpurpose they still leave much to be desired from the standpoint ofresistance to vibration and impact protection.

All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a glove forprotecting a hand of user is provided, where the hand has a palm andfingers, and where each of the palm and fingers have crease lines. Theglove includes a flat, first side having a hand-shaped outer perimeterand having a palm portion and finger portions. The glove furtherincludes a flat, second side having the hand shaped outer perimeter andhaving a palm portion and finger portions. The second side is a mirrorimage of the first side and shares the same perimeter. Protuberances aredisposed in a pattern on each of the first side and the second side ofthe glove. The pattern of protuberances on the first side of the gloveis a mirror image of the pattern of protuberances on the second side ofthe glove. The glove may be used on either a left hand or a right handof a user. When in use, the protuberances on one side provide impactprotection to the back of the user's hand, and the protuberances on theother side provide vibration damping.

In the exemplary embodiment, the glove is knitted and seamless. Thefinger portions of each of the first side and the second side mayterminate at tips, wherein at least some of the protuberances on each ofthe first side and the second side are located adjacent to the tips toprovide fingertip vibration reduction, impact protection and pinch pointprotection. The finger portions of each of the first side and the secondside have knuckle portions, wherein at least some of the protuberanceson each of the first side and the second side are located adjacent tothe knuckle portions to provide knuckle vibration reduction and impactprotection. The finger portions of each of the first and second side mayterminate at tips wherein at least some of the protuberances on each ofthe first and second side are located adjacent to the tips to providefingertip pinch protection. The glove may be manufactured with a cutresistant and/or flame resistant yarn. The protuberances may be a foamedsynthetic material such as foamed silicon. The foamed silicon may beflame and heat resistant. The foamed synthetic material may be appliedto the glove in a flowable state, whereupon some of the foamed syntheticmaterial engages the yarn and is bonded to the yarn. The protuberanceson each of the first side and the second side may be arranged in apattern defining flexure lines between immediately adjacentprotuberances. The flexure lines may be positioned on each of the firstand second sides at approximately where the palm and user crease linesof the user are located. The glove may also be knitted from flameresistant yarn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in conjunction with the followingdrawings in which like reference numerals designate like elements andwherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric, bottom (palm-side) view of a glove forprotecting a hand of user in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention, in a condition of being on a hand of a user;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the glove of FIG. 1, in a condition off ofthe hand of the user;

FIG. 3 is a top (back of hand) view of the glove of FIG. 1, in acondition off of the hand of the user;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a typical hand for use with the glove of FIG.1; and

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the glove of FIG. 1, in a condition offof the hand of the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be illustrated in more detail with reference to thefollowing embodiments, but it should be understood that the presentinvention is not deemed to be limited thereto.

Referring now to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numbersrefer to like elements throughout the several views, there is shown inFIGS. 1-3, a glove 10 for protecting a hand 12 of user from shock andvibration in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. The glove 10 may also be wear resistant, cut resistant, flameresistant and dampen vibration. The glove 10 is for the hand 12 of ahuman being (see FIG. 4) where the hand has a palm 14, fingers 16 andeach of the palm 14 and fingers 16 has plural crease lines 18. The glove10 includes a flat, first side 20 having a hand-shaped outer perimeter22, a palm portion 24, and finger portions 26. The glove 10 is formed ofa yarn that provides for the glove 10 to be flexible. The glove 10further includes a flat second side 28 having the hand shaped outerperimeter 22, having a palm portion 32 and finger portions 34 formed ofthe yarn making the second side 28 flexible. The second side 28 is amirror image of the first side 20.

A plurality of protuberances 36 are disposed in a pattern 38 on thefirst side 20 and in a pattern 40 the second side 28 of the glove 10.The pattern 38 of protuberances 36 on the first side 20 of the glove 10is a mirror image of the pattern 40 of protuberances 32 on the secondside 28 of the glove 10.

The glove 10 is “ambidextrous” in that a single glove 10 may be used oneither a left hand or a right hand of a user. When in use, theprotuberances 32 on one of the first side 20 and the second side 28provide impact protection to the back of the user's hand, and theprotuberances 28 on the other of the first side 20 and said second side28 provide vibration damping.

Preferably, the glove 10 is knitted and is seamless.

The finger portions 26, 34 of each of the first side 20 and the secondside 28 terminate at tips 42, wherein at least some of the plurality ofprotuberances 36 on each of the first side 20 and the second side 28 arelocated adjacent to the tips 42 to provide fingertip vibration reduction(on the palm side of the glove), impact protection (on the back of handside of the glove), and pinch protection. More specifically, the tips 42of the finger portions 26, 34 of the glove 10 have protuberances on boththe first side 20 and the second side 28 to prevent pinch point hazardswhere the fingers can get caught in between two objects coming together.The protuberances 36 are designed to cover the entire fingertip up tothe knuckle and they preferably contour to the curvature of the fingersto allow for fingertip dexterity. If a user' fingertips get caught in apinch, the protuberances on the front and back of the glove aresqueezed, but the user's fingers can be pulled out between theprotuberances due to the stretch of the glove.

The finger portions 26, 34 of each of the first side 20 and the secondside 28 have knuckle portions 44, 46, respectively, wherein at leastsome of the plurality of protuberances 36 on each of the first side 20and the second side 28 are located adjacent to the knuckle portions 44,46 to provide fingertip vibration reduction and impact protection.

The glove 10 may be manufactured with any of a variety of cut resistantyarn and/or flame resistant yarns, as are well known to those skilled inthe art. The protuberances may be made from any suitable material, forexample, a foamed synthetic material such as flame and heat resistantfoamed silicon. Foamed silicon provides a good grip but also providesback of hand impact protection and helps reduce vibration on the palmside. While many foamed synthetic materials may be used, foamed siliconprovides a good set of properties, in that it provides for good abrasionresistance, positive grip, and good adhesion to the glove liner. Othersynthetic materials may require screened-on pattern that would make theglove too thick to grab any object with reasonable dexterity. The airpockets in the foam silicon absorb impacts and vibrations. The patternis screened on, which means that the liner is placed on a flat form anda thick screen with this design is placed over the liner and thecompound is applied with a straight edged blade. The compound is thencured and the process repeated on the opposite side.

The foamed synthetic material may be applied to the glove 10 in aflowable state, whereupon some of the foamed synthetic material engagesthe yarn and is bonded to the yarn. In the present exemplary embodimentof the glove 10, the protuberances 26 on each of the first side 20 andthe second side 28 are arranged in a pattern defining flexure linesbetween immediately adjacent protuberances where the flexure lines arepositioned on each of the first 20 and second sides 28 at approximatelywhere the palm and finger crease lines 18 of the user are located. Whenthe hand is flexed, the protuberances do not bunch up in the palm. Thisdesign allows the glove to be worn comfortably on either hand. The padsare placed to allow hand flexion both from a palm side standpoint wherethey don't bunch up either in the palm area or where the fingers flex.On the back of hand side, they protect the hand and fingers from impact,but also allow the fingers and hand to flex without restriction.

In the past, gloves providing hand protection involved severalhazards—cut resistance, palm protection from impacts and vibrations,back of hand impact protection, and fingertip pinch point protection. Tothis point, there have been gloves designed specifically for anindividual hazard or several hazards, but none has been designed to meetall of these hazards.

While the invention has been described in detail and with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that various changes and modifications can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A glove for protecting a hand of user, the handhaving a palm, fingers, each of the palm and fingers having pluralcrease lines, the glove comprising: (a) a flat, first side having ahand-shaped outer perimeter having a palm portion and finger portions;(b) a flat second side having the hand shaped outer perimeter having apalm portion and finger portions, the second side being a mirror imageof the first side; and (c) a plurality of protuberances disposed in apattern on each of the first side and the second side of the glove, thepattern of protuberances on the first side of the glove being a mirrorimage of the pattern of protuberances on the second side of the glove;whereby the glove may be used on either a left hand or a right hand of auser and whereby, when in use, the protuberances on one of said firstside and said second side provide impact protection to the back of theuser's hand, and the protuberances on the other of said first side andsaid second side provide vibration damping.
 2. The glove for protectinga hand of claim 1, wherein the glove is knitted and seamless.
 3. Theglove for protecting a hand of claim 1, the wherein the finger portionsof each of the first side and the second side terminate at tips, whereinat least some of the plurality of protuberances on each of the firstside and the second side are located adjacent to the tips to providefingertip vibration reduction and impact protection.
 4. The glove forprotecting a hand of claim 1, wherein the finger portions of each of thefirst side and the second side have knuckle portions, wherein at leastsome of the plurality of protuberances on each of the first side and thesecond side are located adjacent to the knuckle to provide knucklevibration reduction and impact protection.
 5. The glove for protecting ahand of claim 1, wherein the finger portions of each of the first andsecond side terminate at tips wherein at least some of the protuberanceson each of the first and second side are located adjacent to the tips toprovide fingertip pinch protection.
 6. The glove for protecting a handof claim 1, wherein the glove is manufactured with a cut resistant yarn.7. The glove for protecting a hand of claim 1, wherein the glove ismanufactured with a flame resistant yarn.
 8. The glove for protecting ahand of claim 1, wherein the protuberances are a foamed syntheticmaterial.
 9. The glove for protecting a hand of claim 8, wherein thefoamed synthetic material is foamed silicon.
 10. The glove forprotecting a hand of claim 9, wherein the foamed silicon is flame andheat resistant.
 11. The glove for protecting a hand of claim 8, whereinthe foamed synthetic material is applied to the glove in a flowablestate, whereupon some of the foamed synthetic material engages the yarnand is bonded to the yarn.
 12. The glove for protecting a hand of claim1, wherein the protuberances on each of the first side and the secondside are arranged in a pattern defining flexure lines betweenimmediately adjacent protuberances, said flexure lines positioned oneach of the first and second sides at approximately where the palm andfinger crease lines of the user are located.
 13. A glove for protectinga hand of user, the hand having a palm, fingers, each of the palm andfingers having plural crease lines, the glove comprising: (a) a flat,first side having a hand-shaped outer perimeter, and having a palmportion and finger portions; (b) a flat second side having the handshaped outer perimeter, and having a palm portion and finger portions,the second side being a mirror image of the first side; (c) a pluralityof protuberances disposed in a pattern on each of the first side and thesecond side of the glove, the pattern of protuberances on the first sideof the glove being a mirror image of the pattern of protuberances on thesecond side of the glove; (d) wherein the finger portions of each of thefirst side and the second side terminate at tips, wherein at least someof the plurality of protuberances on each of the first side and thesecond side are located adjacent to the tips to provide fingertipvibration reduction, impact protection, and pinch point protection; (e)wherein the glove is knitted from cut resistant yarn; and (f) whereinthe protuberances are a foamed synthetic material; whereby the glove maybe used on either a left hand or a right hand of a user and whereby,when in use, the protuberances on one of said first side and said secondprovide impact protection to the back of the user's hand, and theprotuberances on the other of said first side and said second sideprovide vibration damping.
 14. The glove for protecting a hand of claim13, wherein the finger portions of each of the first side and the secondside have knuckle portions, wherein at least some of the plurality ofprotuberances on each of the first side and the second side are locatedadjacent to the knuckle portions to provide knuckle vibration reductionand impact protection and pinch point protection.
 15. The glove forprotecting a hand of claim 13, wherein the foamed synthetic material isfoamed silicon.
 16. The glove for protecting a hand of claim 15, whereinthe foamed silicon is flame and heat resistant.
 17. The glove forprotecting a hand of claim 13, wherein the foamed synthetic material isapplied to the glove in a flowable state, whereupon some of the foamedsynthetic material engages the yarn and is bonded to the yarn.
 18. Theglove for protecting a hand of claim 13, wherein the protuberances oneach of the first side and the second side are arranged in a patterndefining flexure lines between immediately adjacent protuberances, saidflexure lines positioned on each of the first and second sides atapproximately where the palm and finger crease lines of the user arelocated.
 19. The glove for protecting a hand of claim 13, wherein theglove is knitted from flame resistant yarn.